Gospel
Jesus took Peter, James, and John
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.
The part of the Transfiguration episode that’s under-emphasized is exactly what Moses and Elijah were talking to Christ about: i.e., what was to happen to Him in Jerusalem. It’s a key part of the Passion, which is predicted in more than one place in the Old Testament. Yet even with that plus the evidence of the Transfiguration itself, Peter refused to believe that Jesus was to be crucified. There’s a tremendous lesson in there for us.
What did the Transfiguration have to do with being crucified?
It showed what Jesus really was he wasnt to be human any longer….after the resurrection that would be who He is for eternity. The Son of God.
That is a little imprecise. We distinguish between Jesus’ humiliation and his exaltation. The humiliation ended with his death and burial. In Philippians 2, Paul tells us that because of his obedience to death on the cross, God exalted him to the highest place. As true God he always shared the glory of the Father. Now as both true God and true man, he has been exalted to the right hand of the Father and everything is being placed under his feet. His human body had flesh and bones after the resurrection, and we are promised that our resurrected bodies will be like his glorious body–like Moses and Elijah who were with him on the mountain.
Hypostatic union!
Before the Transfiguration Jesus told his disciples that if they wanted to be his followers, they would have to take up the cross and follow him. Then he said that some of them would not taste death until they saw him in his glory. When he tells us we must be willing to suffer or even die for him, it is important to know that like Moses and Elijah, it isn’t about life in this world, it is about eternal life in glory.
There would be no eternal life with him without his crucifiction. When Moses asked to see his glory, the Lord instead proclaimed his name as the God who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin, yet does not leave the guilty unpunished. This seeming contradiction is only resolved on the cross where in one and the same act God both punished and forgave the sins of the world. As Isaiah put it, the punishment that brought us peace was on him and by his stripes we are healed.
The traditional catholic position on the transfiguration is that it was intended to help strengthen the apostles for the passion and demonstrate the fulfillment of scripture by Christ. They go up Mt. Tabour and see Christ radiant in glory with the two old testament prophets who represented what Christ exemplified in His human and divine natures: the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). That Moses and Elijah spoke of Christ’s departure and what was to be accomplished in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31) was to signify the law and the prophets pointing toward Christ as Messiah and foretelling of His passion. It also showed how Jesus had the same authority as these two pillars of Israel’s tradition and how that authority came from the same God. That St. Peter missed the point of the demonstration is par for the course given Christ had nicknamed him “Rock.”
From the transfiguration account in Luke 9:30-31: “And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.”
From 1 Corinthians 15:1-5, we know the crucifixion was fulfillment of prophecy (Paul’s epistle, to an audience that included people who had seen Jesus after His resurrection, referring to the Old Testament as Scripture): “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures”.
Some of the Old Testament prophecies fulfilled when Jesus died are: Psalm 22 (several verses); Daniel 9:26 (the Messiah executed on behalf of others); Isaiah 53; Zechariah 12:10-13 (still unfulfilled, as this refers to the entirety of all the tribes of Israel, as well as a monarchy that has not existed since the Babylonian captivity, and which did not exist at the time Zechariah wrote this; in the original Hebrew, the phrase is not fully translated into English: “then they will look on Me aleph tau whom they have pierced”; the Greek for aleph tau is alpha omega, same as in Revelation 22:13); Zechariah 13:6 (referring to the wounds on Jesus’ hands and the pain caused by Thomas’ unbelief).
I believe, that Jesus giving Peter, James and John, the vision of Himself in glory, speaking with Moses and Elijah about His decease which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem; was manifold in meaning. That of His glory as Messiah, the Redeemer of man back to God, that the entirety of the Scriptures are about our Savior, the Son of God.
Some have suggested, that this might have been the point, where Jesus, as the perfect man, had His choice to either continue on into heaven to be with His Father; as having completed the time of proving in this world. Thus also indicating, what might possibly have been the course for Adam and Eve, had they not sinned: we would have simply fulfilled our set time here, and passed onto the next rank. However I think that this idea shows wrong thinking on many counts.
When God created man in His image and likeness, He first put him in charge, to have dominion over all the earth and everything in it. And when He was finished, He said that it was very good. There is no indication whatever, of either Christ coming in the flesh, nor of a world to come, until after the fall, and God gave sentence. Again, the notion also of ascending by degrees from one life to another, and “advancing” into spiritual realms; comes from the heathen perversions of the mysteries of Babylon; and are not the oracles of God.
We do not go from life to life like Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and the fantasies of the Hindus. The Bible tells us about the resurrection of the dead, and the new heavens and the new earth, and the glory of that world to come: and it is all centered in Jesus Christ having come in the flesh to die for our sins, and rise again for our justification. Each and every soul that God creates has one soul and one life for ever.
The temporary and very brief period, for example between Moses and Elijah, and us up to the end of the world; are all dependent upon and centered in Jesus. And lastly, Jesus is for ever truly man, and truly God: and this very short time of the world as we know it now, will be swallowed up in eternal glory and victory, so that everything from this world will be made forgotten past. Jesus did not cease to be man after He rose from the grave, any more than anyone He raised from dead ceased to be human after He raised them back to life. He became dead, and behold, He lives for ever! His humanity was not annihilated by death, nor by resurrection from the dead.
Also, Moses and Elijah represent the law and the prophets.
It seems to me that God made them disappear just as Peter was enthusing over them to make a very specific point.
Focus on Jesus above all else. Do not allow yourself to be distracted by blind obedience to the law or prophets.
One of our elders discussed this recently in a sermon with some really interesting possibilities. There is a growing group of believers that understand Christ’s second coming will actually be the final and complete fulfillment of the original exodus, which was both a war by God on the fallen spirits of Egypt and a marriage ceremony between God and His chosen people. See Joel Richardson’s book “Sinai to Zion” for a detailed analysis of scripture. Some examples:
+ Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses wrote “…The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you…” and Moses meant someone far more like him than we imagined.
+ Matthew 2:15 “…This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”…” would be a partial fulfillment at the time of Christ’s first coming– with a final fulfillment at His return.
+ Acts 1:9-11 “…And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. … behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”…” Note that it does not say where Jesus will reappear other than in the clouds. But Isaiah does:
+ Isaiah 19:1 “…Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt…”
What this means is that Moses and Elijah could have been talking about (a) Jesus leading His bride out of Egypt along the same route as Moses or (b) their service as the two olive trees mentioned in Revelation who would partake in preaching the gospel to the world before Christ ascends Mt Zion to be crowned.
Almighty and ever living God,
you invite us deeper into your world, your people, your Lent.
May this time be one of outward focus;
seeking you in those we often ignore.
Help us live a Lent focused on freedom, generosity, and encounter.
Give us hearts hungry to serve you
and those who need what we have to give.
🙏
Amen
✝️
🙏
Mark 8 27-38
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are sthe Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
“Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him!” (7)
Suddenly, when they looked around, they saw no one with them except Jesus.” (8)
Mark 9 Berean
(Jesus)
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:27 NIV
Lord, please help us all to hear Your voice and do whatever You tell us.
You are the Good Shepherd and will lead us beside still waters and into green pastures…
We thank You, Gracious God, for the compassionate love You have for us all …
Amen
🙏
Bishop Robert Barron’s commentary on today’s gospel.
Friends, today’s Gospel presents the Transfiguration of Christ. What is the Transfiguration itself? Mark speaks literally of a metamorphosis, a going beyond the form that he had. If I can use Paul’s language, it is “the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of Jesus Christ.” In and through his humble humanity, his divinity shines forth. The proximity of his divinity in no way compromises the integrity of his humanity, but rather makes it shine in greater beauty. This is the New Testament version of the burning bush.
The Jesus who is both divine and human is the Jesus who is evangelically compelling. If he is only divine, then he doesn’t touch us; if he is only human, he can’t save us. His splendor consists in the coming together of the two natures, without mixing, mingling, or confusion.
This same Jesus then accompanies his disciples back down the mountain and walks with them in the ordinary rhythms of their lives. This is the Christ who wants to reign as Lord of our lives in every detail. If we forget about this dimension, then Jesus becomes a distant memory, a figure from the past.
Beautiful, wonderful, merciful King of Kings and Lord of Lords!!!
This is one of my favorite Gospel readings. Anytime Jesus was troubled or wanted to teach the Truth, He called these three, His closest friends. Come to mountain, come in the boat, join Me in the garden to pray. And, today, it reminds me of TCT calling us to come together as friends to learn the truth.
Allow me to offer for your musical consideration and meditative use: Sonata on Psalm 94 by German composer Julius Reubke.
The work is a musical exploration of the Psalm by Reubke, who die in 1858 at age 24 of tuberculosis, and who left behind only 6 works.
It is worth c. 20 minutes of your time to experience – not listen to, but to experience – this marvel by a young man of 23!
For Lent, and for our era of raging evil, one of the greatest works in any genre:
Introduction – Grave 1. O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself. 2. Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth; render a reward to the proud.
Larghetto – Allegro con fuoco (@ 3:25) 3. Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? 6. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. 7. Yet they say, the Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
Adagio ( @10:45) 17. Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. 19. In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul.
Allegro – Allego assai (@ 16:53) 22. But the Lord is my defense, and my God is the rock of my refuge. 23. And He shall bring upon them, their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.
(Played by organist Gillian Weir)
Psalm 40 verse 7, “Here I am, I have come-it is written about me in the scroll”. Immanuel comes to fruition
I also experienced His presence at a very young age of 16! It is only for the Grace of God I am here today at 68! He is amazing and very comforting! You feel so at peace with Him…
Jersey, His presence is something I cannot put in words to describe. It’s just ‘something’ that you know; once you know.
May His Blessings continue to be present.
To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances,
To seek Him the greatest adventure,
To find Him the greatest human achievement.
-St. Augustine
In this Holy Gospel of St. Mark today, Moses represents the Law;
Elijah represents the Prophets
….The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.
I pray that in these dark times more and more people will allow the Light of Christ illuminate all they do. It was later in life that I finally got over myself and let Him in. No one is beyond the redemption of His Light. All Joy, thanksgiving, and praise to OUR LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! “To whom else would we go Lord; YOU have the words of eternal life”
Almighty Holy God spoke from Heaven and said, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
In the Bible God tells us not to just listen to what He says, but to do what He says.
James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” If we only go to church and hear a sermon, or read our Bible and do not put into practice what God commanded us to do, we deceive ourselves.
We’ve got a world full of “christians” who are no more Christ-like than the Buddhist that lives next door to him. They say they believe in Jesus, but they never actually do what He tells them to do, as if it is old fashioned to do so.
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
I listen to “Unashamed” with the Robertsons and I also started watching “The Chosen”. I recommend these two for people who are not familiar with Jesus but want to. So far so good!
After Mass we went to see season 4 of Chosen. It was so thought provoking we talked about it almost all evening. Highly recommend it.
Knowing this passage well, and reading through the comments I’m struck by how blessed we all are vs the fallen standing against us.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. – John 3:7
I love the words of my Lord and Savior.
“born from above” in the Greek manuscript
Elijah and Moses appeared as a vision, they could not have been there in person as they were dead.
Mat 17:9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
Today’s mass also included the Old Testament reading describing God testing Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice his only son.
Many Christians seem to dismiss the Old Testament as “old news” now that we have the Gospels, but those people miss so much.
Every story in the New Testiment was prophecied or otherwise prefigured (sometimes repeatedly) in the Old.
Thank you Menagerie and all Treepers for these Beautiful posts on Sundays. You help fill my heart with peace and happiness in these troublesome times.
THANK YOU ALL !!
Ditto 🙏